Official website of the President of Russia

WE, the participating countries of the East Asia Summit met via videoconferencing on 27 October 2021, under Brunei Darussalam’s 2021 ASEAN Chairmanship on the occasion of the 16^th East Asia Summit (EAS);

RECOGNISING the severe damage caused by Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to the global tourism sector and acknowledging the efforts made by the governments of respective countries to rebuild tourism-related industries and to overcome the crisis;

EMPHASISING that a global and regional response based oninternational cooperation, multilateralism and solidarityis required to mitigate the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and further emphasisingthe fair, equitable, and timely access to affordable, safe andeffectiveCOVID-19 vaccines, on a global scale, plays a very important role for tourism recovery;

STRESSING the crucial role of tourism for socio-economic development,poverty alleviation, employment generationand its capability to accelerate the recovery of the regional andglobal economies;

STRONGLY SUPPORTING the human resources development and digitalisation of tourism and tourism-related businesses;

UNDERSCORING the value offacilitating safe trips to existing and new tourism destinations, while adhering to health protocols and safety measuresof respective countries to reduce risks of public health emergencies and bring back confidence in the tourism-related industries;

EMPHASISING the importance of closer collaboration and coordination, as appropriate, between government and industry including through joint responses and initiatives to rebuild the tourism-related industries, and increasetourism investment opportunities in the region;

RECALLING the Manila Plan of Action to Advance the Phnom Penh Declaration on the EAS Development Initiative (2018–2022), Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025, ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2016–2025, Phnom Penh Declaration on a More Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient ASEAN Tourism, ASEAN Post-Pandemic Tourism Recovery Plan, and the 2020 ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF) and its Implementation Plan;

DO HEREBY DECIDE TO:

1. Discuss thecurrent situation in the region related to tourism, especially on the measures taken by countries to accelerate recovery and the steps takentoreopen tourism destinationswhile adhering to health protocols and safety measures;

2. Exchange experiences and information on travel restrictions and health and safety standards for tourism destinations, to boost trust and confidence of travellers, to build resilience at all levels of the tourism value chain, and to foster quality andsustainable tourism;

3. Encourage EAS participating countries to consider reviewing their respective border health measures, implemented as a result of COVID-19, for vaccinated travellers giving due consideration to fairness, equity, science and non-discrimination with the aim to facilitate cross-border travelin a safe and gradual manner;

4. Promote sustainable tourism, including but not limited to ecotourism and community-based tourism, as a tool to foster sustained and inclusive economic growth, social development, biodiversity conservation and financial inclusion;

5. Explore the possibilities of joint actions tofacilitate the recovery of the tourism-related industries, including the safeopening ofnew and existingdestinations, improving infrastructure,advancing digital transformation of tourism,and developing innovative tourism and tourism-relatedproducts including cultural tourism;

6. Further explore the possibilities to discuss the gradual restoration of safe intraregional and international travel and the use and recognition of interoperable health certificate solutions, including digital, for COVID-19 tests and vaccinations, which respect health protocols and safety measures of respective countries;

7. Explore capacity building programme to raise human capital in the tourism and travel-related industries to drive competitiveness especially through sharing of best practices and training programmes in designing, and utilising innovations and digital tourism services for the safe and frictionless interaction and transactions,assisting tourists in emergency situations as well as enhancing digital skills through reskilling and upskilling;

8. Promote the development ofsupport programmes for tourism-relatedMicro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)that can attract potential investors,and fosterjob creationin the tourism-related industries for local communities;

9. Enhance policy coordination through the implementation, where applicable,of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework, the ASEAN Post-Pandemic Tourism Recovery Plan, as well as the joint recommendations by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO); and 

10. Explore the possibility of holdingdialogueon tourism among relevant agencies of the EAS participating countries.